Double Strollers - Graco vs Phil and Teds.

[Suzan]

Okay so I am looking at the Graco Duo Glider and the Phil and Teds s4 Inline.

The Graco is cost effective and from what I hear is good. Its very big when folded tho but my carseat will work with it just fine. And there is the giant basket under the kiddos.

The Graco Stroller is this one. (http://www.gracobaby.com/products/pages/productdetails.aspx?productid=1762082#sthash.lu6th qmC.dpbs)

The Phil and Teds...I have not seen in person but has pretty ok reviews I am just not sure on how sturdy the rumble seat is and how it would best work for a newborn and a 2 year old. The other thing with that is the photos look like you lose use of the basket if the little one is sitting in the back.

The Phil and Teds is this one. (http://philandteds.com/us/Products/Push/S4-inline)

Any help here would be really appreciated. Money is super tight so I need to save up for whichever one I deside on and I cannot go and see the Phil and Teds until maybe next weekend. I also drive a Buick so not sure if they both would fit in my trunk ok or not.

Thanks a bunch!

[hellokitty]

It's like comparing apples to oranges. I've had both. The graco is a pos and the p&t is about 50x better. That's why it costs more.

[Suzan]

Thank you so much for your quick response. Maybe you could let me know what made the p&t so much better than the Graco other than that it costs more. The cost isn't an issue aside from me having to set more aside for it. I am more looking for convenience, size, safety and ease of use.

I appreciate to you it is like comparing apples to oranges but to me its apples to apples. Both are double strollers which I have absolutely no experience with which is why I am asking for advice on these two different models that seem like they may work for my family.

The only thing I am absolutely certain of is I do not want a side by side. Again I appreciate any help with the pros or cons of these two strollers. If it comes down to one of those where you really have to get your hands on them both to really come to any conclusion that’s fine too. I just know I liked my Graco single stroller (except it takes up tons of space) and I like my umbrella stroller, they just are not conducive to our soon to be situation.

[PZMommy]

I had a similar Graco stroller and while it was huge, I would prefer it over the Phil and Teds. I really don't like the rumble seats. I always feel like the child in the bottom can't see things as well, which may not be a problem if a baby is in that seat, but more when they are older. The Graco can take two full sized kids and has a huge basket. It is heavy and can be difficult to steer, but most tandem strollers are. Folded it did take up more space than my single Graco and was quite heavy, but I was able to get it in and out of my trunk without too many issues.

[kep]

The issues many people have with the Graco's are that they are often quite heavy, very bulky when folded, the quality of the materials and construction is poor, and the seats are often too small when using it for older kids. The push is generally awful.

P&T's are pretty nice, but if you are desiring an inline stroller, I think there are better choices.

Are you only considering those two brands, or are you open to other ideas? If you provide a general list of features and your general budget, we would love to suggest other options too. We are total stroller enablers/junkies here.

And welcome! :)

Edited to add: In reference to the 'apples to oranges' comment, yes...they do both have two seats, but that is about all they have in common. They are vastly different strollers in regards to function (tandem vs rumble seat), quality, push, etc. They really are quite different strollers.

[legaleagle]

How old are your kids and what will you be using it for primarily? Tons of great choices out there, but a double stroller that doesn't fit your lifestyle is infinitely more annoying that a single that doesn't just because they're all so big and heavy.

[hellokitty]

The graco is a beast. Imagine pushing it up a hill with two kids. It's like trying to push a tank up a hill. If you have ever been to the Cleveland zoo before, there is a huge hill that is at least a 45 degree incline. I took the graco beast up that hill with a newborn and an 18 mo old. At that time, I had wanted to get the P&T, but was taking pause at the price. After that day at the zoo, my dh told me to get the P&T. The P&T is much more compact first of all. The double seat can come off to make it a single or double, which is convenient if you have kids going into preschool/school and may only have one child with you. Yes, you lose the basket a little bit when there is one in the back seat, but I attach a small backpack to the side of the P&T and it works quite well. P&T sells saddlebags, but I find that a preschool sized backpack worked well too, for a fraction of the cost. Anyway, due to the air tires AND the tires being bigger on the P&T, it is just a much easier stroller to push. It is also easier to fit into your car. You can find a P&T used in the $200+ range. I sold my first generation P&T a couple yrs ago in that range and it got snapped up right away. They have been around now long enough, w/o a huge change in their line up, that an older version will serve it's purpose if you are on a budget. So, if the price worries you, don't hesitate to go used. They hold up great. I really liked mine, my older two kids were only 18 mo apart. I know there are some other strollers like the britax that are similar, but honestly I don't know much about them. It's like a rip off of the P&T. So, that may be another option to check out. Good luck! Just don't get that graco beast, b/c it is very cumbersome, will take up your entire trunk if you can fit it in there (not fun to haul it in and out) and I always feel sorry for moms pushing those things. If you are open to a side by side, I'd check out the BJCMD, if they had those available when I had my kids, I probably would have looked into those.

[Suzan]

Thank you for all the wonderful information. I am going to have to say the Graco will likely not be the best choice then. At least based off the Zoo story. Thank you for sharing.

I am open to any suggestions really those are just 2 I heard about and the reviews/price wasn't terrible. And well I liked my Graco single stroller. lol

Mostly I have DD who will almost be 2 when DC#2 rolls around in January. I need something to use for them both when I am not wearing one of them or when we go shopping or zoos/parks etc. I know in the summer we are planning a trip to Hershey park which has a bunch of hills so light wouldn’t be a bad thing. It will mostly be me taking them both out and about and just need something to make life a bit easier. We also like going for walks which I use my umbrella stroller for at this point. If something is great and wont take up the whole trunk of the car that would be nice too. I have until January basically to save up for it but I cannot see spending super amounts of money on a stroller.

I am concerned about a side by side given the age difference that it might cause issues if DD is grabby with the baby or what have you. That and not sure how that would work with an infant seat. I did start to think they might fold up smaller than the tandem ones. lol Maybe I am not 100% against them after all. Darn indecision.

[legaleagle]

Sounds like you should seriously consider an all terrain stroller, or possibly a P&T since you do a fair amount outdoors. With doubles esp, "light" and "light to push" are not necessarily the same thing. Which brand of infant seat do you have? Is your DD on the bigger side? If she's petite, the mountain buggy duet might be a good choice. Air tires, but very narrow - only 25". Fold is wide & tall but very flat. But lots of other options as well.

[Suzan]

The infant seat I have is a Graco® SnugRide® Classic Connect™ 30 Infant Car Seat I also have a evenflo one but not sure its details I mostly used the Graco one. - DD is around 22 lbs and short, I would say she is Petite. Shes in like the 12/18 month clothes I dont know if that helps. I will take a look at the mountain buggy duet. Any other suggestions are welcome.

[legaleagle]

You're good to go with a graco - I think just about everyone makes an adapter for that.

I'd also look at the britax b-ready. I actually have a P&T (verve) and I find the age before the baby can sit in the back seat to be pretty awkward. It also doesn't push that well, considering it has air tires. I considered a b-ready instead of the verve but the b-ready was new on the market and the older wheels they used were fairly crappy. Also it doesn't fold as compactly as the verve and I have a tiny trunk.

[Mercuria]

I'd like to second the B-Ready. I see them on my local CL for 300-350 with the second seat fairly often. You can also check the stroller swap Facebook groups (you have to join) if you don't see any in your area.

The current generation has foam-filled rubber tires which you can identify by the wheel spokes. The old ones have six (usually gray) spokes, and the new ones have two black, swooping spokes.

They also made other changes (I think they moved to a no-rethread harness and have an extra, more upright seating position), but the wheels are the big one. You can check on the other changes if they matter to you (since you could be looking at an older stroller with the new wheel kit).

Old:
http://theshoppingmama.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/britax-b-ready-stroller-wheels.jpg

New:
http://www.britaxusa.com/store/details/accessories/b-ready/2012-b-ready-wheel-kit